The Burning Chambers
A Thrilling Epic of Love and Conspiracy from the No. 1 Bestselling Author
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3.9 • 208 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller
‘Mosse is a master storyteller’ – Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe
Bringing sixteenth-century France vividly to life, Kate Mosse’s historical epic The Burning Chambers is a gripping story of love, betrayal, war and conspiracy. It is the first volume in the sweeping, spellbinding series, The Joubert Family Chronicles.
Carcassonne, 1562. Nineteen-year-old Catholic Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: SHE KNOWS THAT YOU LIVE.
But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to get out of La Cité alive . . .
A thrilling adventure and a heartbreaking love story, The Burning Chambers is the first novel in Kate Mosse's enthralling, meticulously researched historical series. It is followed by The City of Tears.
'A tour de force' – The Observer
'Gripping, complex and intensely atmospheric' – The Mail on Sunday
Praise for The Joubert Family Chronicles:
'Historical fiction to devour' – Anthony Horowitz, bestselling author of Close to Death, on The Burning Chambers
'An utterly absorbing epic' – Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Paris Apartment, on The City of Tears
'Meticulously researched and stunningly written' – Santa Montefiore, bestselling author of Wait for Me, on The Ghost Ship
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Set in 1500s France, Kate Mosse’s The Burning Chamber is a fiercely gripping tale of a family’s struggle through the French Wars of Religion—a unique and tumultuous time, when neighbours became enemies. We follow Minou Joubert as her destiny becomes entwined with that of Piet Reydon, a young Huguenot. At the same time, she unwittingly stumbles into grave danger when she receives a cryptic and anonymous letter. Mosse’s extensive historical knowledge and evocative descriptions enables her to paint a vivid picture against which both romance and mystery unfold. Tense and absorbing, this is an atmospheric pageturner of a story that is a compelling read for all historical fiction lovers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Against a backdrop of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in 1562 France, 19-year-old Minou Joubert, the intelligent and spirited Catholic daughter of a bookseller, and Piet Reydon, a warmhearted Huguenot soldier, fall in love in this tense, atmospheric thriller, the first of a trilogy from bestseller Mosse (the Languedoc trilogy). The plot centers on a disputed inheritance and a stolen religious relic that ruthless men will stop at nothing to possess. The author displays her usual flair for descriptive detail, whether it's a dusty Renaissance bookstore or a storm-drenched countryside. Unfortunately, a psychotic villain and one-dimensional fanatics stand in awkward contrast to such nuanced characters as Minou and Piet. When all parties converge on a castle in the Pyrenees, the various story lines are resolved in a fashion that feels a trifle pat. Nonetheless, Mosse brings vividly to life the mounting strains in a community filled with fear and mutual mistrust. Readers will eagerly await the sequels, which will chart how the feuding plays out over the next few centuries.
Customer Reviews
The Burning Chambers
Unusual for Kate Mosse but a couple of mistakes in the narrative so gave one star less but fab story as always by such a fab writer
The Burning Chambers
Some books I read in order to send me off to sleep but this one kept me awake into the wee hours. Kate Mosse skilfully weaves this tale and brings to light a sad period of unrest between religions.
Iv read the physical books book one and two
It’s worth a read I loved it.